Hudson Valley Auctioneers, located at 432 Main Street, Beacon, New York will present an unreserved antique and estate auction with absentee, phone and online bidding through Liveauctioneers.com on Monday March 3rd at an early start of 3:00 PM EST. In house previews are Sunday March 2nd from 1pm-5pm and Monday from 12-2:30 pm or by appointment beginning 2/24. Auction features the remaining contents of the Estate of Larry Wiseman, Sparkill NY with select additions.
Those of us fortunate to have spent and still spend our respective lives in this thoroughly engrossing and occasionally maddening trade share many similar experiences. Aside from all the endless stories of triumph and tragedy there is one constant; the meeting of the same and seemingly ever changing group of unique personalities that frequent the shows, markets, shops and auctions.
Very early in my first auctions in Cold Spring I met Larry Wiseman. He was already well established and known as "The Renaissance Man". At the time I had sold him a cast stone WPA sculpture and after buying it he exuberantly told me what a fantastic purchase he had made and frankly how much of a bargain he had gotten. He remained a client and one of those "personalities" in and out of my life for the next 45 years.
I hadn't known he'd passed two years ago. He had still been buying the occasional auction lot that I had personally delivered to his slowly decaying Victorian mansion in Sparkill at his insistence. He never let me inside. And now, as I offer for sale what remains in his house and grounds, I've gotten to know better the fascinating fellow he was. His numerous interests are represented by the variety of items in this upcoming auction.
For example Larry's lifelong affection for Venice, Italy was evident by a collection of gondola oar locks; one by Giuseppe Carli, several paintings, Murano glass, cameo shells, Italian Provincial furniture and Renaissance decorative items.
He was enamored with cowboys and the American West. Several reproduction Remmington bronzes, two large cowboy themed canvas murals, various skulls, a fine tooled saddle, tooled belts, two F.V. Guinzburg terracotta exhibition sculptures of Mexican women and a very large cast set antler styled rustic furniture are evidence. Religious objects include a very early carved Christian triptych, early gilt carved station, a 17th century Bible with leather binding, an early icon, several statues and other artworks.
Victoriana was another interest as a pair of cast iron figural boys, an exceptional pair leaded windows, a Herter quality standing desk, carved marble and alabaster statues and spelter statues will be offered. And then there are the oddities; a stuffed dog in a shadowbox , a stuffed monkey, a taxidermy horse head, a Concetta Scaravaglione WPA statue of an Island drummer, ethnographic carvings and from Doyle's NY 1986 auction of Rock Hudson's personal items a Stroud player piano with trompe l'oeil decoration, Hudson's collection of piano rolls and the original auction catalog and receipt.
Sadly we lost another longtime client this year, Arthur Gordon of Tarrytown NY. A former educator show and shop dealer we had been working closely with Arthur and his wife Michelle over the past few years to disperse their multiple overstuffed storage units. This auction has several lots from their personal furnishings to include several fine bronzes, bronze 19th century decorative items, lighting, a fine marble clock, brilliant cut crystal, porcelains and Italian gilt carvings.
From the local home of a world renowned photographer, now 90 years old , comes a fine mid century Herman Miller bedroom set, several lots of silver, L. C. Tiffany glass, the finest Gothic Revival silver-plate mechanical cruet set and some fine china services.
Other silver and jewelry lots include a fine Reed and Barton flatware set, lots of hollowware, watches, lots of gold jewelry led by an excellent large 18k brooch with gemstones by Ed Wiener and several lots of sterling jewelry.
Excellent 'brown' furniture from a prominent Rye NY family estate includes several period George 3rd pieces including a fine leather top partner's desk, an exceptional chest on chest in burl, a silver chest and a later dining table and chairs, a banded Regency Pembroke table, an English Regency burl desk and a fine Chippendale mahogany fretwork silver table purchased from George N Antiques. Expect many other individual and many group lots of interesting and fresh to the market items of interest in the near 600 lots.
Plan to preview or view the sale online. Images and listings as well as bidding links for all items are available on our website after 2/21. Gallery is open for payments and pickup Tuesday 3/4 from 10am to 3pm and daily that week 9-3:30. Weekend appointments can be arranged for limited pickups if invoices are prepaid. All shipping is by third party vendors only. Auction terms, links to online bidding and other info available at our interactive website www.HudsonValleyAuctioneers.com or contact sales manager Theo de Haas 845 480 2381 or auctioneer Neil Vaughn 914 489 2399.